Bed-and-breakfast

A bed-and-breakfast can be a private home in which the hosts offer a room or two, or commercial establishments.

They offer overnight accommodation and … breakfast, of course! Indeed, in the morning, guests are served a full English breakfast, but they can get a continental breakfast if they want to. They can have their breakfast in their bedroom, the dining room or their hosts’kitchen.

B-and-Bs are usually much cheaper than hotels and inns but this is not their only asset (=quality)! Guests like their hosts’ hospitality and local knowledge. Most hosts live on the premises and can recommend local events, festivals, views of interest, … Running a B-and-B offer them a secondary source of income so they have to be welcoming and professional.

Hosts prepare the breakfast for their guests, clean the rooms and may entertain their guests in the evening.Most of them belong to professional associations and have to meet specific standards of quality.

The first B-and-Bs appeared in areas where working classes went on holiday. Why? The new tourists did not have enough money to afford hotel rooms. B-and-Bs offered a cheaper and more convenient option.

B-and-Bs also developed in towns and big cities, as they were favoured by business travellers and tourists.

B-and-Bs are classified into three categories:

– standard = guests have to share a bathroom that is another nearby room.

– en-suite = guests have their own bathroom, with a toilet, a washbasin, a bath or a shower

– deluxe = bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms are better equipped

So, if you are fed up with standard hotelrooms and want to relax in a homely environment, B-and-Bs are for you! You will have the opportunity to discover new lifestyles, understand a new culture from the inside and make new friends!